3 Ways To Obliterate A Nation’s Healthcare System

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Last week I went to a local teahouse here in Iraq with a local friend, and the conversation inevitably turned to politics: “If we could just fix the healthcare system!” my friend hissed from across the table. “Then maybe the hospitals would be better and people could be healthy.”

“Fixing the system,” “improving quality of life,” and “healthy children” are hot topics around here, and not just among my aid/development worker friends. Iraq’s healthcare system was once envied by much of the Middle East, and families from all over came to Iraq for medical treatment.

Unfortunately, the opposite is now true. Iraq has fallen far, and the people here know it and discuss it often. Also unfortunately, despite these conversations being well-intentioned (because we all want people to be healthy, right?) much of the talk is focused on symptoms rather than root causes–fish handouts rather than fishing lessons.

As development workers living in a place like Iraq, my team has seen plenty of people come to help, and we’ve seen most of them leave. And I believe one reason they don’t last is because they never really answered this question: how did medical care here get so bad?

Again, they focused on easing symptoms rather than doing the difficult work of getting to the root of the problem.

And that’s exactly why so many didn’t last: the real, root reasons for these problems are incredibly complex, difficult to talk about, and, to be frank, dealing with symptoms is easier and sexier than talking about a problem’s ugly and confusing root-underbelly.

So, using Iraq’s recent history as a case study, here are 3 ways to obliterate a nation’s healthcare system:

1. Cripple a country’s ability to operate politically and economically.

In 1990, the United Nations passed Resolution 661, which placed economically violent restrictions on Iraq’s ability to trade with members of the UN. The resolution was originally passed to “limit the aggressors” in Iraq (read: Saddam Hussein’s government), but ultimately led to widespread poverty and malnutrition among Iraqis.

Because Iraq’s economy is so dependent on foreign imports and exports, the limitation of trade by the UN caused the economy to crash. In 1989, annual income per household was $3,510 and by 1996 had fallen to less than $500.

Before sanctions, 93% of the population had ready access to healthcare institutions that were staffed primarily by Iraqi physicians who had been trained in Europe or the United States. After Resolution 661 passed, the Iraqi government was unable to sustain this level of healthcare for its citizens nor were they able to keep hospitals adequately supplied.

These sanctions, and the economic collapse they caused, primed the country for the health crisis it is in today.

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15 comments

Oops, I think my posting was lost. If not, pardon repeat.
Dawn L says it well.
The decline of health care in Iraq began with the US installing Hussein as their puppet for financial and strategic reasons. The educated (MDs, teachers, etc.) fled the brutal regime in droves). When he got too big for his britches, the US had to depose him. Sanctions further degraded the system. The illegal & unjust war destroyed the country & killed hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians & provided even more patients requiring services, both acute & chronic.The war destroyed the nation's infrastructure so cities have only sporadic electricity, water & other necessary services. Thank you US.
How would the US feel if China did this to them? Now the US is sticking it's nose into Iran & the conflicts in the South China Sea where China, Brunei, Indonesia & others are eager to get into the resources there. Just can't mind their own bloody business. They just keep creating more terrorists who hate them for the almighty dollar while their own country circles the drain.

You are a freaking moron who has his head stuffed so far up his own fundament that you can see your larynx from there.

NO ONE BELIEVES YOU. No one listens to you. You can stop stalking the female liberal bloggers now since that is ALL you ever comment on.

I bet your absolutely favorite piece of "literature" is "50 Shades of Grey" because that is the only way you want to see females: submissive, subservient non-entities bowing to every whim of their white male masters.

Which really shouldn't surprise anyone seeing as you emigrated from South Africa.

It's called the "Affordable Health Care Act" and it's yet another TAX on those that are successful, those that have made something of their lives and those that are prepared to work hard.

A TAX that will benefit (or so we're told) those that ALREADY qualified for Medicaid, while taking away from those that PAID for their Medicare.

A TAX that was imposed INSTEAD of simply FIXING a broken health insurance system, brought about by corruption of the very people that authored the "Affordable Health Care Act", for the sake of corporate profits.

Never mind the nation's health care system - methinks we need to start with the nations POLITICAL system - and obliterate it!!!!

Get back to the true letter of the constitution and the Republic that we're meant to be in terms of that constitution.

Many are not going to like this but if one wishes to have any sort of decent health care system they are going to have a system similar to Canada. Canada's is not perfect but it is head and shoulders above the current US system.
The thing that is wrong with the Canadian system is that they validate doctors for prescribing drugs and seeing vast quantities of patients rather than handling the source of the illness. If one devised a system for the overall wellness of patients rather than being ill doctors would go back to being doctors rather than glorified drug pushers. If doctors were being compensated for the wellness of their patients then you would find them on the front lines of shooting down the pharmaceutical giants rather than being in collusion with them. One would also find doctors speaking of good nutrition and not being a part of a revolving door medical practice.

I feel a lot of sadness for everything you have discussed in this article... Very articulate and powerfully written. ( Why do we have to use munitions tipped with depleted uranium...? ) I wish you strength and lots of support on your Path of Heart.....